The Schuylers

2011-12-01T07:34:00.003-06:00

Here is the link for the ipad 2 giveaway

Hoping to win an IPad 2 for the hubby for Christmas! I have really gotten into these deal sites this Christmas. I have been able to save a lot of money as a result. Now I just have to get on board with doing the coupon clipping for grocery shopping. I am excited to use the $10 target facebook coupon with the $25 target gift card I got online so my purchase should only be $15!

2011-03-17T11:49:00.002-05:00

Ok 2 years later I post. I know it has been a long time. I am currently on the HCG diet. I am on the 2nd low cal day with an excrutiating headache. I am not a fan so far but I may be if I drop pounds. I am hungry and cranky. Did I say cranky? Multiple that times 100. 500 calorie a day diet. Ugh! I hope my next post is of many pounds lost.

2009-10-21T13:11:00.005-05:00

Grandma with Sierra and her cousins on a hay ride.

I'm really thankful for this resurgence of fall. Yes it is only October but it was so cold that it was acting like winter. Sierra is finally getting healthy after a bought of tonsillitis with hives followed by a cold with a nasty cough. We are learning to be more frugal in our day to day life out of necessity. My husband's job has cut various forms of his pay 2x in the last couple of months with maybe an actual lay off in the near future. It at times seems overwhelming but we are trying to stay focused and realized God has not left the throne. He is sovereign and knows our needs. I am thankful for the renewed desire to exercise more and eat healthier. My neighbor invited me to go for a long walk the other day and it was just what I needed. All the beautiful colors on the trees and great conversation made a 45 min walk go by fast. I am starting to use my YMCA membership more both individually and as a family. If I can get myself there, I feel so much better after working out. Sierra is adjusting to school more and loving working with her daddy in our church's coffee shop. She is just like Steve is her outgoing nature and her love for people. I hope she learns more of that in the years to come.

Just a little reflective today and realizing how great my God really is. He is faithful even when I get so caught up in my circumstances that I refuse to see it. Enjoy the beautiful fall colors like I am!

Steve starting a fire at my parents.

2009-05-20T14:08:00.002-05:00

Hallelujah! I had a very good dr. appt. today. I was worried that my tests came back that I had diabetes. They came back not even borderline - woohoo! My body still has excess insulin in the system so she wants me to go on a low glycemic index diet to help maintain my blood sugars and bring down the amount of insulin my pancreas is producing. My thyroid is low and I will have to take some pills for that which I had a feeling that may be the case. I am estrogen dominant b/c my progesterone is way low but I was wary of taking any progesterone since it made my emotions go through the roof. She is prescribing something that turns into progesterone if my body needs it once it enters the blood stream. The stuff I was using before she said was storing up in my body's fat layer and was making my emotions worse b/c it never entered the blood. I am also taking a couple of supplements but all in all a very wonderful day. I also prayed that it would be under $150 b/c insurance doesn't cover it. It was $142 and change - wow - I am blessed! Thank you Lord!

2009-05-02T20:13:00.003-05:00

Only in Mke would there be a sellout for a Brewers game with a giveaway for a Ryan Braun bobblehead! Sorry but that just made me laugh as I am watching the game and typing this. Well we have had a good weekend already. Thursday night Steve and I had a midnight date to the opening of the movie Wolverine. We got there an hour early and it got full really quick. It was a great movie but we had to be one of the oldest people there. There were teenagers and college kids all around us. It made us feel like kids again! On Friday night, we had a bonfire at my parents' house with my nieces and nephews. It was so nice out but the fire pit was kind of wet so it ended up being a little smoky. Oh well - more to come! Today we went to a huge rummage sale at Sierra's school. There were a ton of booths as well as a number of neighbors of the school who had a rummage too. I ended up getting a new bike helmet for Sierra for $5 so it was worth it. Then we embarked on our first family golfing experience. It was an experience. We went to a par 3 course to get Sierra's feet wet in the golfing realm, and wet feet we had! The course was very soggy and we ended up getting pretty muddy, but it felt good to start the season. Sierra did good when she focused but she, like her momma tends to pick up her head when she hits the ball. Thankfully it was only 9 holes; we wouldn't have made it to 18. Tonight Steve gave me off so I went and saw a movie. All in all a good weekend so far and we are planning to go to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago tomorrow. Should be fun!

2009-04-01T14:40:00.005-05:00

Wow what a day! I've been looking forward to and dreading this day for some time. Not b/c it's April Fools but b/c I had a doctor appt. scheduled. You who know me well have known that I have gone to a number of doctors to figure out what is going on with me. I have a number of known things like Rosacea, GERD, PCOS, insulin resistance, elevated cholesterol, IBS, etc. But I have been having quite a few symptoms that I couldn't get diagnosed what my problems were: fatigue, anxiety, muscle weakness, numbness & twitching, etc. I went in today to a natural dr. to help regulate my hormones b/c I was sensing that this was part of the problem. Wow did I leave with a whole lot of information! I took a Candida questionaire where 180 was high and I scored a 250. Yeah, needless to say I am now on a yeast free, sugar free diet for the next 6 weeks & taking Diflucan. I also am getting a saliva hormone test done and thyroid, adrenals, and other hormones tested. They did an allergy test of the hormone LH and yes I am allergic to it; funny thing is my body makes that hormone especially during ovulation. I am allergic to my own body - great! brilliant! I have to take drops every day to counteract the hormone. It all is a little overwhelming to take in, especially the $500 price tag b/c it wasn't covered by insurance. But, I am hoping and praying that once this is all said and done the old me will be back. I'll post more when I have the time ...off to pick up Sierra from school.

2009-03-16T11:27:00.004-05:00

I am loving this warm weather! It is going to be in the 60's today and tomorrow! I am mopping floors and airing out laundry. My car is in the shop today so I am home bound. I guess I don't mind as long as the weather is nice. I would be home bound anyways b/c I am getting some mattresses delivered between 1-3 today. I should be cleaning Sierra's room to fit the mattresses in before 1 :). If I get really ambitious I may start setting up my garage for a rummage sale in the spring. I am trying to make our house more livable - less clutter! I have done better in the main part of the house but I think Sierra got the clutter gene from me. She doesn't want to throw anything away and likes it all spread out so she knows what she has :). I need to just grab a dumpster and start hauling stuff into it without looking back. I always think "Well, maybe one day I might use it." When am I going to use country style decor again? I am going contemporary/classic and not looking back! I was so thankful for all Steve did this weekend. He put up a light fixture in the bathroom for me which replaced a chain hanging globe setup that has been in our condo since it has been in existence, I am sure! He put up some pictures and helped me finally finish decorating our bedroom. I love it! When I find my camera & the cord to upload the pictures, I'll put some up. We are contemplating what to do to update the bathroom without having to spend too much. I am leaning towards painting the cabinets and just replacing the countertop, sink and faucet without replacing the whole cabinet. The countertop and sink are one piece and the sink is cracking. If we replaced the cabinet we would have to get new flooring b/c the laminate was cut to fit this cabinet. Well I guess feelings of spring cause me to think of working on various areas of our house. I am off to working on my daughter's room....

2009-01-13T22:12:00.002-06:00

We were given a 3 month membership at the YMCA by my parents for Christmas. We signed up on Sunday and right away went swimming. It was so nice to be able to swim when it is below zero outside! I hope we use the membership a ton! I was thankful tonight Sierra and I went right after school and did some more swimming, played basketball and then went on the walking track. She ran around the track 3 times! I was shocked! It helped having a boy a little older than her running around it - she didn't want to be left in the dust :). I am just so thankful she enjoys it. That is one of the biggest hurdles to excercising - making it enjoyable for the kids and yourself so that you stick to it. My goal is to make it again on Thursday and on the off days use the treadmill at home.

2009-01-12T16:32:00.005-06:00

I don't know if you like Oprah or not but she has Suze Orman's 2009 financial plan book for a FREE download until Thursday on Oprah.com. So if you are looking for some financial tips or help - here is a great start and for free to boot!

2008-12-20T19:32:00.002-06:00

I cannot believe how much snow we are getting in December. School was cancelled on Friday for a 14" snowfall with thunder snow which meant the whole fam was home together. It was nice being all home with no where to go. I was so excited about it I woke up early to check for closing and then started baking at 6:30 in the morning. Sierra and I made gingerbread men, Christmas mice (Thanks to Barbie for the idea :), and chocolate covered pretzels. When Steve woke up, he and Sierra went to the neighbors with plates full of goodies. It was the perfect day to deliver them b/c we knew everyone would probably be home with the snow. It was fun and helped Sierra learn about giving and see how fun it is to give. Life gets so crazy around Christmas that it is easy to think about me me me instead of others. I loved that her Christmas program practices were doing a charity for the rescue mission-men's scarfs. We bought some fleece and made 12 of them. It was easy but another fun way to give. It is an awesome way to show Christ's love and it doesn't require a lot of effort. Just a little time. Anyways, we are hoping for another snow day on Monday with windchills going to 30 below zero. But before that comes we are getting another 5 inches of snow tonight! Fun times! Merry Christmas!

2008-12-02T15:05:00.002-06:00

In the past couple of years I've tried to switch my decor to contemporary colors and styles. Well then comes Christmas... I have way too much stuff - 9 bins of decor that happen to be mostly crafty. I am debating do I put up the snowmen and houses, or do I just give at least the snowmen away? I am trying to minimize since we live in a small place but yet we keep accumulating stuff. Just as I finished switching over summer to winter clothes - the little semblance of order disappears! I have it all on my couch and chairs right now - which my husband wonders if the couch was ever intended for humans to sit on:). So do I put it all up one last time or do I just get rid of some now? Your thoughts are appreciated :)

2008-11-24T20:19:00.003-06:00

Courtney helped me update my blog, so I thought I'd make her and others happy by writing a new post too. We've been busy around here with school & the holidays quickly approaching. I help out in Sierra's classroom on Fridays and I am really grateful for the opportunity. I saw all the kids today at Sierra's program and they were saying hi and all hyper about performing in front of the whole school. Their program was on Persistence. They dressed up as their favorite characters and said how that person showed persistence. Sierra was Cinderella and said she showed it by doing all her chores - wonder if that could pass into real life at home - hmm - not thinking so! My mom came to the program and took her to get a Webkinz as a surprise for doing such a good job in her program - fun stuff!

2008-11-06T12:54:00.003-06:00

Well we had to give up our cat "Prince Fielder" this last week. I found out after we got him last year for Sierra's birthday that I was allergic to him. It is odd since I grew up with cats and had no problem with them then. We really miss having him around here. We gave him to my parents. He is starting to come out from hiding under the bed all the time. They have a dog so he is trying to get used to that. Prince pretty much stays upstairs and the dog downstairs. Yesterday, we went over to my parents for supper and spent time with him. It made me miss him all the more. It was nice having him here during the day with me. I guess you don't realize how much you adore your pet until it's gone. I'm just thankful he is somewhere where we can still see him.

2008-10-12T11:40:00.002-05:00

Well I know it has been a while. I thought I'd blog from one of the only things I have pictures for. If one of you blessed bloggers could teach me how to rotate pictures I would greatly appreciate it. This was our trip out to PA to see the Starrs. We took one day to go visit Washington D.C. since we were only 2 hours away. It took us 3 hours to walk around to all the monuments on a very warm day but it was worth it. Or should I say, now I know it was worth it since it's not right after the fact.:) One thing that made it even better is that Sierra studied symbols of freedom at school right at the beginning of the year. She was able to bring pictures of herself at many of them. All the kids loved it! I left my camera at home so the rest of the pictures were from a disposable camera. I have to find someone with a scanner to put in the rest and to put up the pictures from visiting the Starrs. This was Steve's first time here. It was so hilarious. We had researched where to park for free (D.C. is known for limited parking). Well the problem was we couldn't figure out how to get to this riverside road to park - everything was one ways going around the monuments. We ended up going over the bridge into VA at least 2-3 times! We could see our road but not the way to get there! Hey at least we saw the sign for Arlington national cemetery, so we can say we were there too :)

2008-07-29T11:03:00.004-05:00

Well this is my first attempt at a Lemon Meringue Pie. Not as stiff peaks on the meringue as I would like but it turned out - hallelujah! Hopefully it will taste good :) I'm making a meal for a friend and was told this is one of their favorites. The meringue always seemed too hard to attempt before but today seemed like the best time to try!

2008-07-02T14:38:00.005-05:00

Our trip to Chicago

Sierra's attempt at taking a picture under "the bean."

Running in the fountains at Millennium Park.

In the American Girl store by her favorite doll, Molly.

Steve & Sierra in front of Watertower place and the Sears Tower.

In front of "the bean" at Millennium Park.

We had a wonderful time for my birthday going to downtown Chicago for the day. We went to Michigan Ave with all of its shops, Millennium Park and American Girl. It was in the 90's but we enjoyed the great trip! The fountains in the park helped fascinate Sierra along with the AG store. We also stopped at the infamous Ikea that I have grown to like so much on the way home. Thanks family for a wonderful day!

2008-06-01T22:04:00.008-05:00

SIERRA GRADUATED FROM KINDERGARTEN

Her teacher Mrs. Sherwood & Sierra - What a wonderful teacher!

Auntie Leigh, Grandma & Nanna

The little graduate and her cousins.

Grandma trying to get the whole cap on the cake as a piece for Sierra.

Sierra & Great Grandma

Sierra's friends Sadie & Reghan came to see her graduate.

After she got her diploma from her principal.

My little girl so grown up! I loved this white cotton dress she wore for her graduation too!

Here she is singing away!

I loved this picture of her they took for the slideshow of all the kids.

The 2 Kindergarten classes together on stage.

Her cake my mom got for her.

Well Sierra graduated last Thursday from Kindergarten. She was just singing her heart out and so full of energy. I ended up being too far back for most of the pictures but I got some from another family member. She was so excited that we had a party at our house for her afterwards that she whipped off her gown once she got in her classroom and was ready to go in a matter of minutes! My mom ordered an ice cream cake for her and we had some snacks with Steve's and my family at home. I was so proud of her - not a bit of nervousness showed - even though she talked about it all week.

2008-05-24T06:50:00.004-05:00

Well we are camping out this weekend at my parents' house while they are away for Memorial Day weekend. We are taking care of their dog and 20+ year old cat. It takes some getting used to with letting the dog out at the crack of dawn and trying to quiet the deep guttural meows of the cat who thinks she's all alone. Last night we went to a carnival at Sierra's school where all the games required a certain number of tickets. The tickets were 20 for $5. Each booth was run by a teacher and the tickets they received transferred into money for their classroom. Clever idea. There were a ton of people there being it was elementary through high school mulling around with their families. Thankfully we had put a 1/2 hour time limit on it up front. All was well until Sierra saw a clown - freak out! Ring any bells Monica? I think that gene got genetically passed down. I hate clowns ever since I saw the movie IT in high school. Mind you I'm not totally freaked out by seeing one but I don't want any in my house! Not an idea to those who visit! Anyways, we are enjoying a relaxing weekend. We love doing fires outside and having smores. No swimming this Memorial Day - too chilly.
Edit: Well I guess chilly was not in the forecast. It was in the 80's today!

2008-05-19T11:29:00.006-05:00

Notice the flower they painted on the big toe - so fun!

We had a fun mother's day weekend. I know a week late, but what the hay! Courtney and I went out to Qdoba for lunch on Friday and then to get manicures and pedicures - pd for by Scott - thank you. We were laughing and chatting it up - I think the rest of the place thought we must not get out much :). On Saturday we spent all day cooking and baking. We took lunch to Steve's mom - steaks, corn, salad, strawberry rhubarb pie. For supper, we made bbq chicken, baked beans, pumpkin and strawberry rhubarb pies, etc. for my mom. Wow did we sleep well that night! Also a coworker of Steve's - Heidi - came by and gave me bags of clothes for Sierra - what a blessing! She now has all the summer shorts she needs, a winter coat and dresses (her favorite). Then my hubby surprised me by taking me to Ikea on Sunday. We returned our whole bathroom redo items, but it was all good. With the economy the way it is - everything is costing a whole lot more! So we took back our new sink, cabinets, mirror, and light fixture. I guess we'll have to stick with the beloved 70's hanging globe lights with chains we have now.

2008-05-16T14:57:00.003-05:00

My daughter is so consumed with her loose tooth or wiggly tooth as she calls it. She keeps complaining that it hurts - I should just yank it out. Have any of you guys done that? I'm afraid the process would be worse than the result. Somehow she figured out the tooth fairy is us - I'm sure someone at school told her. Oh well - it was bound to happen!

2008-04-09T09:25:00.003-05:00

I helped today in my daughter's classroom so the teacher could do assessments on individual students. I was a little leery of it since the teacher would be out of the room, but I really enjoyed it. All the students were in 4 different phonics centers that were mostly games dealing with rhyming or high frequency words. I really enjoyed going from group to group helping out and getting to know the students in Sierra's class a lot better. It actually made me miss teaching a bit. Never thought I'd miss it. Not that I ever really officially taught, but I have a degree in it, student taught, and was a teacher's aide sub for a week. The thing I never really could grasp is the respect angle. I have a tendency to want to be their friends instead of being their authority. But today it helped knowing the kids and their tendencies so I could nip potential problems in the bud right away. It is cool having Sierra in there too. She was beaming when I walked in. She loved having me there. All in all a great morning! After I was done , they were off to get pictures taken for the yearbook in their caps and gowns for graduation. Wow this year has gone by fast!

2008-03-18T17:44:00.002-05:00

Wow am I getting nervous about a job interview this Thursday. I went on Craigslist today and applied by email for a job thinking it would take a while to get into motion. Oh no, the guy emailed me this afternoon and asked me to call him tonight. I did and I go in on Thursday morning to meet with the lady who I would be working with if I get the job. The cool thing is I prayed right before I started looking for jobs today and asked the Lord to guide me. I have never been contacted back for jobs I have applied for in recent times, so it has been kind of safe for me thinking that I am making my husband happy by trying but me happy by not actually getting any. The job is for a part time gift shop worker at a local hotel in the mornings. I would be done before Steve needed to go to work, so the job would still be feasible during the summer. I'm just kind of weirded out about the whole idea of working again. It is only 2 1/2 hours a day - not very long and yet I will get into a routine. The guy said it is pretty intense in the morning, but another lady will be working with me. It is an upscale hotel with a lot of business travelers who are in a hurry to get to meetings in the morning - needing gifts, coffee, etc. I think I would like to be busy enough to make the time fly ; I'm just worried about the irritability of the customers affecting me. Anyways, got to go. We'll have to wait and see!

2008-03-11T08:57:00.002-05:00

Here is the requested picture of the two of us with our "matching haircuts."

2008-03-03T20:53:00.003-06:00

Sierra's new haircut.

2008-02-28T09:13:00.006-06:00

I don't know if you've been hearing all the hype surrounding tomorrow, but it has me thinking. One extra day. What should I do with one day that normally every year I don't have? It kind of feels like almost if it was your last day, how would you live it? Kind of a carpe diem - seize the day - of sorts. I heard on the news they suggested going through your unwanted emails and actually hitting unsubscribe instead of just deleting them. Good idea, but not really seizing (not like a seizure:) the day. I kind of want to make a big deal about it with Sierra too. Should we go out of our way to do something nice for someone else, spend time with fam and friends, or just focused one on one time with each other? Any of you guys have any ideas? I want to instill in my little girl life isn't just about getting, but about investing in other people.

2008-02-27T08:46:00.004-06:00

My 100th post is dedicated to my adorable little girl. She was anticipating losing a tooth for at least a month before, and finally the day arrived. She freaks out at the sight of blood, but when this tooth was wiggly, she worked on it and yanked it out - hilarious! I think in the process of showing it to both sets of grandparents, aunt and cousins, we lost the infamous tooth. But, there are many more to come :) So no tooth fairy visit this time, we'll have to wait a few more months, I guess :).

2008-02-15T15:21:00.004-06:00

Ok I this post may be a little cheesy, but I lost Courtney's email and she wanted to see my new hairdo. So here is the old and in with the new. Believe me in real life the color is a lot more flourescent, but I soooo needed a change! The funny thing is I went to a beauty school so it would be cheaper ( to their credit it was), but it took the girl 5 hours! I was ready to grab the scissors myself! She kept calling over the instructor to check it and fix it. I think most of the others that were nearer to graduation would have been much faster, but this girl must have been brand spankin new. Sierra went full day yesterday b/c of their valentine party. Good thing, b/c there is no other way I would have been able to get it done. It was nice to look nice for our valentine's date though :)

2008-02-11T13:08:00.000-06:00

The infamous sausage race - you have to be from Milwaukee to understand :)

I can't tell which Brewer this is, but our personal favorites are JJ Hardy and Prince Fielder (our cat is even named Prince Fielder :)

I don't know about any of you guys but I am so sick of snow and so ready for spring. I heard that the pitcher and catchers will be heading to practice soon, which makes me get excited about the Brewers season ahead. I think they have a good chance of doing well this year; they were right on the edge last year of making the playoffs. We normally go to about 5-6 games a year, but we'll probably have to limit the number this year. They are doing well which means they can raise the price of tickets again. We love going to TGI Fridays in the park and watching the game from in there, especially when we get nosebleed seats :). I even thought about working in Miller Park to get discounted seats, but that wouldn't work when there's day games. I don't think they'd approve of me bringing my daughter with me! Got to go - my daughter has a bandaid fettish and desperately needs one at the moment for an owie I can't even see!

2008-02-06T11:16:00.000-06:00

(L-r) Myah, Atiera, Sierra, Mikaela & Mackenzie sitting in "Mrs. Sherwood's tree".

Sierra at her table with Jacob.

Sierra celebrated her 1/2 birthday yesterday at school since she has a summer birthday. You'd think it was her real birthday the way that she was so hyped up about it. She got to bring in a special treat for snack time. She chose icee push up popsicles. I found out from Sierra that almost the whole class got a yellow card after I left - they were wired from the sugar - oops :) Then she got to stay for lunch and get hot lunch. She was able to pick one friend to sit with her in the tree to celebrate her b'day, so she picked Atiera. I'm glad she had such a fun day!

2008-01-16T11:43:00.000-06:00

We had a great time celebrating the new year, Monica's birthday, and time with old friends.

2008-01-04T16:47:00.000-06:00

My cousin Troy got married this month right before Christmas and boy oh boy did the girls go crazy--dancing up a storm. My cousin Carrie amused them for a while but they were wired for sound! It was a nice fancy occasion for us to sit back and relax and enjoy time as a family together amidst the craziness of Christmas.

2007-12-18T09:01:00.000-06:00

Sierra had her first program this past week. Wow was I a nervous wreck! Whenever I would ask her her songs or actions she couldn't remember them. Well this little girl must be all about stage presence. She was dramatic and singing loud and knew all the actions and words! We were sooo proud of her! She wasn't nervous one bit. She even waved to us in the back before the house lights went down. Oh I love this aspect of parenting! I love seeing this little girl blossoming into her own person. Of course I forgot my camera, so I missed all the memories for years to come, but that doesn't diminish how proud of her we are!

2007-12-09T10:19:00.000-06:00

I wanted to say how proud I was of my husband this week. We were at Panera having a bagel together after dropping Sierra off at school, when 3 Marines walked in. My husband went up to them and asked if he could buy them breakfast, just out of the blue. He wanted to thank them for their sacrifice for us. Wow - tears came to my eyes. I was so proud of him!

2007-12-04T18:17:00.000-06:00

I love watching Steve get Sierra ready to read her homework book from school. He has her do jumping jacks to get her energy out and to get her to focus. She really is progressing in her sounding out letters to words but tends to try to guess at them too to make it easier. Now we just have to get her to focus at school. She does great at math. She must get that from her daddy :) But she struggles with language like writing the words the teacher says for them to write. We're working with her- hoping and praying that all this will click in her mind. It is an influx of knowledge for the little girl. I'm sure it feels overwhelming!

2007-11-14T08:51:00.000-06:00

More fall photos

2007-11-14T08:41:00.000-06:00

Here's some fun fall pictures. I took lots of photos of Sierra & Prince - many of which had us chasing the cat or trying to get him out of a tree :).

Sierra & my dad

Dad doing a campfire for us after school one day. We love going over to my parents and starting a fire, drinking hot chocolate, shivering in the crisp wind(ok maybe we don't like the shivering part :), and the smell of the fire.

2007-11-05T11:05:00.001-06:00

Winter is coming! We are expected to get snow tonight and tomorrow morning. I guess it was going to come sometime, but I like for it to wait until Christmas or maybe just a dusting for Thanksgiving. I went out and bought salt this morning - maybe you think I'm crazy but since I broke my foot last year from slipping on the stairs outside our condo, I'm going to be better prepared this year. You all may laugh and jest but those to the east of us have it coming next!

2007-10-23T09:49:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling MUCH better since my surgery. The 10 day mark hit and now it just feels a tad sore. No more pain medicine except b4 bed a little Tylenol PM. I am very greatful, b/c it felt like it was never going to end. Now we can focus on other things like Harvest Fest at church Friday night. I'm getting excited about getting Sierra dressed up in her Cinderella outfit. She will love all the kids, candy, and hoopla that goes into it every year.

2007-10-21T19:59:00.000-05:00

I don't know about any of you guys, but we are loving watching the ALCS games. We are rooting for the Red Sox to be in the World Series. Man, are they good. A whole team of very good players - now that is the kind of game to watch on tv. We enjoy having something we all can watch together at night. Game 7 tonight!

2007-10-13T10:25:00.000-05:00

Well it has been an eventful (sp.) weekend. I had my tonsils and adenoids removed yesterday. Good times! Thankfully Steve was with me all day by my side. My dad picked up Sierra from school and took her to his house for the afternoon and then my sister took her overnight. Very sore to swallow and kind of dizzy and nauseous, but I'm alive. Living on ice and liquids for the next 10 days.

2007-10-02T11:40:00.001-05:00

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. We had a whirlwind trip to MI Tue-Thur. It was good to see Grandma and the rest of the family. It was also a blessing to find out that 3 people raised their hands that they had prayed with the pastor for salvation at Grandpa's funeral. Thank you Lord!

2007-09-23T16:35:00.003-05:00

It's very sad looking at my last post knowing that Grandpa died today. We are so grateful he lived a very full life and knew the Lord, but we still miss him greatly. We'll be heading to MI sometime midweek for his funeral. Pray that his testimony will continue on to influence those of the extended family that don't know the Lord.

2007-09-13T12:22:00.001-05:00

Well I wanted to wish Steve's Grandpa a belated 91st birthday. This was taken last month when we went to see them around Grandma & Sierra's birthday. Wish we could see him but schedule won't allow it. So hope you had a great b'day Grandpa!

2007-09-05T10:47:00.003-05:00

Well today was the big day! Sierra was a trooper! She got all dressed for school and brushed her teeth while mommy took endless pictures. She seemed so grown up! I think she was too excited to even eat breakfast - her hungry tummy when I pick her up will change that tomorrow :). I cried when we left, but Steve took me out for breakfast since it was so early. I guess the early empty nest begins - wow! I miss her already!

2007-09-05T10:24:00.000-05:00

Well we had one last hurrah before Sierra jets off to school. We went to the zoo in the morning and rode the train and carousel. We ate lunch there and bought 2 animals that are made by a machine that heats up plastic into animal shapes - lion & giraffe. We came home for an hour to relax and then went down to Lake Michigan for some swimming. There was hardly anyone there, the water was pretty clear and warmer than normal - perfect conditions for swimming! To top it all off a Channel 4 helicopter flew overhead and took video. I think we were on the 10 o'clock news at night - too funny! Now we're celebrities - ok not really - but an awesome day. We topped it off by going to Red Lobster with Daddy for dinner - Sierra loves looking at the lobsters :)

2007-08-17T15:36:00.000-05:00

Well Sierra finally got her long awaited kitty who just bit my toe - hopefully that doesn't become a habit:) She earned enough money to buy Inka from the humane society. We still are debating names. She can come up with a million girl names but since he's a male those won't work. Our recent pick is "Prince Fielder" for our infamous Brewers player. Prince or the artist formerly known as prince (thanks to Dave Mulder's comment :) does come to mind but his name originated with the Brew crew. He is a keeper but tends to keep us all up at all hours of the early morning or late night chasing his tail in circles or seeking to lay down in front of your face so you can't breathe.

2007-06-27T09:51:00.000-05:00

I've had a number of things going on but was waiting to get the pictures up before I posted. Well that could be the next century, so I thought I'd just write about it first.
My wonderful husband planned a 30th birthday party for me. He made it a luau theme where everyone had to wear leis given out by Sierra. It was such a nice time with family, friends and neighbors. We rented out a park with a pavilion and a big playground near my parents' house. Steve made hot dogs, hamburgers and brats and then some family and friends brought the extras. Trinity made a huge bowl of homemade salsa, Steve's mom made a huge bowl of potato salad and their wonderful caramel brownies, Mom made a huge taco salad and helped us decorate, my cousin brought pasta salad & plates, my sister made veggie & fruit platters and made a couple trips to the store, once we started, for last minute items. We got a big cake from Sam's and my aunt made her awesome carrot cake.Steve had been stock piling water and soda for months. There were about 10 12 packs left after the party - give you an idea? We had enough food for probably 100 people! He had a whole box of hamburgers & hot dogs left from Sam's - yikes - they are still in our freezer! We made up water balloons and had the sprinkler running so the kids could get wet. We also had a badminton net set up which the kids and families used too. I was quite impressed with my husband. He did a great job & made me feel very special. Thanks sweetheart!

2007-06-03T18:43:00.001-05:00

The doll I showed in the last post is Sierra's favorite, Molly. Here is a picture of Sierra doing her best imitation :).

2007-06-02T09:25:00.001-05:00

I don't know if any of your kids are into the American Girl doll craze but it has hit our family. For the first year we were able to figure out when the sale is and order tickets. We started 4 min. before the alleged start time to order tickets and it was busy solid for 15 min. and then when we got on you had like 2 min. to complete all the info. and order. I think the dolls end up being around 1/2 the normal price in stores but I have a feeling it will be crazy! We thought it would be good to get Sierra one from everyone for her b'day so she doesn't get more stuff that doesn't fit in her room :). A doll could fit and would be nice keepsake for her 5th and golden b'day. My mom and sister and I were going to go, but it looks like my sister can't come b/c of a wedding, so maybe her oldest will come instead. I think this may be a one year and done experience for us. We'll see!

2007-05-22T21:54:00.000-05:00

Paige & Mark Sherid

Yes it has been 2 months since I posted. I have officially switched my computer over to the laptop completely so I figured out how to hook up my camera too (which is why I didn't post before). About one month ago we went to Paige's wedding in Kentucky.It was so great to see her-- she looked glamorous. It has been so long since we've seen each other. I think the last time was when we were on staff together at Northland. She is a gem. I hope Mark knows what he's got! Well, we stayed for the Thunder over Louisville fireworks which boast being the best fireworks in the country - they were pretty great, I must admit. I enjoyed getting the tail end of the air show that was during the day with the F-16's deafening roar overhead that literally shook your insides :). I borrowed this one from Kelly Glupker's blog - those were excellent pictures!
We even visited Churchill Downs and took a tour - location of the Kentucky Derby. There were beautiful flowers everywhere! Sierra graciously did endless posing while "tiptoeing through the tulips." They actually bury parts of some of the winning horses there. They bury their head, hoof and heart.
It was beautiful. We even ended up watching the race this month since we were just there. We then went to MI and visited Steve's grandparents for a surprise visit. It was so good to see them even if it was only for one night. It was a whirlwind weekend but it was a nice getaway.

2007-03-28T16:53:00.000-05:00

We've been trying the program photo booth on my computer. Here's a funny one of Steve, Jordan & Brooke.Here's a great picture of Sierra and my Dad.

Well regarding my dr. visit today, the dr. said 6 more weeks before my foot is totally healed, but I don't have to wear my boot anymore unless my foot starts hurting considerably. So I can wear tennis shoes, sandals, or even be barefoot - woohoo! Thankfully no more crutches. You never realize how precious the basic things are until they are taken away. Just in time for spring/summer :).

2007-03-28T07:14:00.000-05:00

Well the doc called last night. He said that they didn't see any hernia or anything else wrong. I had them do the scan over my abdomen all the way down my torso just to make sure. I am so grateful that they didn't find anything major wrong. He said it could be a pinched nerve in my chest or inflammation of the breast bone - sounds strange, but ok. He said the next step is to see a pain doctor and get a cortisone shot in my upper abdomen. It is odd, at first I just wanted him to find the hernia and have surgery to get it over with, now I am just praising the Lord I don't need surgery. No hernia which is weird- b/c even the chiropractor thought I had one and would push it in when I would go in to get adjusted. At least it has calmed my fears considerably b/c someone was even mentioning cancer which totally freaked me out. God gave me a passage in Job yesterday which I said, "Please may this not be b/c I need to face more trials yet to come today." The Lord was just teaching me to rest no matter what the outcome. Thank you for your prayers. This morning I go to the foot dr. Hope he says "Your healed" :).

2007-03-26T08:09:00.000-05:00

No news on the ct scan yet. I should be able to find out in the next couple of days. Go to the dr. on Wed. to see if my foot has healed. Loving the 70 degree weather! Sierra is wondering when she can go swimming :).

2007-03-22T11:27:00.000-05:00

Well I met with the surgeon today and he couldn't find a hernia. What in the world is going on then? Well just to make sure, I'm going to get a ct scan tomorrow. 2 more bottles of barium to drink! Yuck! I don't know if any of you have had to do that but it is nasty! I guess I go in one of those tunnel things and get multiple x-rays of my abdomen like little slices. Hope it gives some answers. I do have to say I am grateful that as of right now I'm not scheduled for a surgery. That is a relief!

2007-03-20T11:50:00.000-05:00

Well the car was a little more difficult to fix than first anticipated, so they took it in to get it fixed. The cost $1800. Yikes! Needless to say we didn't get it fixed, seeing that we only paid $900 for the car. Yesterday I went frantically looking online and in the paper at cars. We found a 2001 Chevy Prizm (really a Toyota Corolla built for Chevy) for $2000 less than the blue book price and bought it from a Toyota dealership. So Steve is thrilled to have a car that isn't puke brown and not 1 year from being in the classic car category :). It helps that 2 neighbors of ours have the same car and love it. If you know anyone who would like to buy a 88 Chevy Celebrity for cheap, let me know. It needs new brake lines and a gas line, but the body of the car is in good shape. Kind of like a fixer upper project for a father-son duo. Anyways, I'll post a picture soon.

2007-03-17T10:19:00.000-05:00

Well I'm at the coffee shop today while Sierra and her cousin Brooke are enjoying the St. Patrick's Day festivities. It is so busy here today b/c they put it in the paper. I'm blogging from my laptop for the first time. Great fun to be mobile! Steve is at my parent's house working on his car. On his way to a lead for work, his brakes almost went all the way out. His brake line broke and was draining all the brake fluid. Thankfully we were able to take back roads to my parents and get there safe. He and my dad are going to reinstall new brake lines - what a job! I do not envy him, but I am so grateful that my dad is willing to help to him to help save us money. I've been having significant pain in my chest below my sternum, so I went in this last week. It is confirmed I have a hernia. I meet with the surgeon this Thursday to see where it is and what are next step is. I'm kind of freaking out about having another surgery. I just had one 4 1/2 years ago for Sierra & then 3 months later for my gallbladder. I kind of have a feeling that it will be happening rather soon since last time I went in on a Thursday and had the surgery the following Tuesday. I just hope I get better in time for Paige's wedding April 20. I really want to be able to go. So please pray that I only have the 1 hernia, since there is a great possibility I could have more from the stitching areas from my last surgery. Also pray it is a one time fix, quick healing, no future problems to come from it and my current problems go away. 2 weeks ago it seemed like my body was having a panic attack which the dr. thinks was really a reaction from my hernia. I think it was due to a significant amount of caffeine. Who knows, but I just hope we can fix the problem this time. Last time the dr. thought it would all go away with the gallbladder surgery, but it didn't. I did have stones in my gallbladder, so it wasn't a needless surgery, but I was hoping the pain would go away. I am grateful the dr. also did blood tests and an ekg to see if the pain was related to my heart or liver and thankfully they turned out normal. I would greatly appreciate your prayers!

2007-03-07T10:11:00.000-06:00

She thinks she's the next Brett Favre. Whenever I let her dress herself she either puts on her Packer outfit or her Brewers outfit :). Now we just need to channel that energy and enthusiasm into getting ready for school :)

Well time for an uplifting post! It is a gorgeous day today and we are loving the sunshine! We are looking forward to the long range planners showing a 50 degree mark in the works. Three weeks from today we go to see if I can get the boot off. Woohoo! We purchased an Apple laptop this weekend, but I haven't used it much yet, b/c we don't have the necessary equipment to go online with it or MS office. I did sit in a parking lot near free wifi and tried it out though. That is nice to sit in the car while my daughter is snoozing in the back and be able to work on the computer. She is recently not loving to take naps, but I can tell she still needs them. So en route around town she falls asleep. So either I drive for an hour, or park for an hour. Now I have the laptop to keep me occupied :). Last night we went to an open house to check out a school. It was really weird for me. I guess it seems so far away yet so close. I was kind of hoping we could make it uneventful and just sign her up. Well that was before I was ushered into the world of private schools. You set up a meeting for questions, turn in the application with $98, Set up another meeting for Kindergarten readiness, Go to another meeting to discuss the outcome of the readiness meeting, they discuss which of the 2 teachers' styles best fit with yours, and then turn in a Pastor's referral sheet, sign a statement of faith(Sr. year at NBBC :), and welcome you in. I feel like I'm back at Northland! I understand the process, but I just wish I could say here's your lunchbox and backpack, have a great day, love you! :). We shall see. I need to get my act together b/c it all needs to be done within the next 6 weeks. I also have to decide between 1/2 and full day. I 'm leaning towards 1/2 to kind of acclimate her into school. What do you guys think?

2007-02-26T16:33:00.000-06:00

No news is not always good news. I went outside to take a walk when it was warming up here on Tuesday and slipped and fell on the stairs. I nailed my head on a concrete step and broke a bone in my foot. I had a mongo gooseegg on my head which still is hurting but has diminished significantly. Thankfully on Thursday I got a walking boot on my foot, so I can at least get around with out crutches and hopping. I'm still adjusting to the difference in leg length with the boot on which makes it quite awkward. I had to go to the bathroom in a garbage can by my bed if I wake up in the middle of the night, b/c my boot comes off at night. I'm not very steady on the crutches at 2 a.m. either :). Frustrating! My lovely boot! We kind of had an Iron Mtn. experience with our hospital here. They said I just sprained my foot. I took their x-rays to an orthopedic dr. and he said it was broken. It is the 2nd one this month from the same hospital with the wrong diagnosis. Kind of like Iron Mtn.'s practice of taking out extra organs when you go in for surgery :). Let's take out the appendix just for the heck of it since we're going in there anyway - priceless!
We also got a lot of snow this weekend (maybe a foot), not as much as expected (22 inches). Sierra and Steve made a fort and Steve let Sierra bury him in snow :).
Here's my beloved husband whipping snowballs at me, while I take pictures of him :).

2007-02-14T13:18:00.000-06:00

My beloved husband gave Sierra & me flowers for Valentine's Day! I got the roses and Sierra got the purple tulips. I got him a Favre jersey, but I don't think he was too impressed. Oh well! I must say, guys are soooo hard to buy for. I got it before Favre said he was coming back, so I thought it might be hard to find if he retired. He was still very appreciative, but we'll take it back :) I think we'll go back to him picking out his own gift :) We wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-05T14:32:00.000-06:00

Well we had a fun super bowl party at my parents yesterday. We made homemade pizzas which satisfied almost every person, so they could custom make their own. I attempted to make the dough in the breadmaker and ended up with a goopy mess! So a quick dash to the grocery store and we were ready to roll! Jordan got his wish with Peyton winning. The rest of us got our wish with the Bears losing - woohoo! We brought our portable DVD player for the kids to keep them occupied, since the temps were too unbearably cold to go outside. Today the schools were closed for the weather, which usually means Steve is off, but I guess that only applies to snow/ice closings - bummer. He got all excited until he called work and they said, "Sorry, we're still open." Poor guy.

2007-02-01T16:39:00.000-06:00

We have been trying to get our kids to get their energy out, so my friend Trinity and I have been taking our kids to the malls a couple of times a week. They run and play in the kids' area and sometimes wrestle, which is hilarious to watch. They don't get angry when they wrestle, but I think some of the other moms are kind of wondering why we let them. I think Sierra baffles Alicia with her love for Cinderella and her love of wrestling :) Today we went to the kids play area and then to the train where both kids wanted to be the conductor. In reality, they both just wanted to ring the bell :).

Today is the last "warm"(22 degrees) day before the artic freeze starts coming our way. This next week the highs are in the negative a couple of days. They said it is the coldest it has been in 30 years! I just hope my car starts in this frigid weather!

2007-01-23T09:40:00.000-06:00

Night out on the town Steve took me to one of my favorite restaurants for a date Friday night. We went to Lake Park Bistro. It is on a cliff overlooking Lake Michigan. Steve was given some unexpected money and surprised me with a night out. We sat at the kitchen table which is all by itself right by the chefs. We've come here once before on Valentine's Day 2 years ago. The manager of the rest. for some reason remembered us which was really cool. Later I thought it might be b/c we wore the same outfits 2 years ago :). You get to watch what all the chefs make and your waitress and the manager explain the different dishes as they come up to go out to people. He gave us 2 free appetizers - Lobster Ravioli and Escargo. Yeah we attempted the last one, b/c it is snails. But I made sure the guy didn't tell Steve what it was til after he tried it. They were under a puff pastry which helped, but you could see the little antennae (sp.) coming out of it - ahh! They really only tasted like garlic, but it was a mental/texture thing. Steve ordered chicken with roasted potatoes and I had their awesome hanger steak with shoestring fries. He gave me every sauce they make, so I could try all the different ones - red wine sauce, blue cheese, peppercorn, cream sauce, au jus, and a mushroom cream sauce. I settled with the red wine sauce intermingled with blue cheese. Oh good! We had such a fun time!
Sierra at another coffee shop storytime.
This one was all about a pajama party. The bad thing was we forgot we had to go home and change her before we went anywhere else since she was still in her pj's. :)

2007-01-22T17:08:00.000-06:00

Pretty eventful weekend with Sierra letting an unknown dog into my parents' house & then my sister's dog attacks it by pinning it to the floor and going for the neck. My sister got her dog off the other one long enough for it to get up and we helped it go back outside. Very traumatic! Sierra thought the dog wanted to come in. Well it did, but it wasn't meant to :). Today Sierra sticks one of those "pretend earrings" or hard plastic circle stickers up her nose! I couldn't find it and she doesn't seem bothered by it, so I'm hoping it is already in the digestion process. I still don't know what the logic behind that one was. I have a feeling there wasn't any.

2007-01-18T09:24:00.000-06:00

Sierra & I while taking a walk at the park.

Sierra and I were talking in the car the other day. We were talking about how God made us. Then she asked, "What did He make us out of?" I said, "He made us out of dust and His breath." She said, "He must have some strong breath!" Oh did I laugh. She is a gem :).

2007-01-15T09:25:00.000-06:00

Jason & Kellie Knapp (left) with their family and fellow missionary family in Papua, New Guinea.

I just read an email from some friends who are missionaires in Papua, New Guinea. They are presenting the Gospel in the native language of the tribe they are in for the first time today. There is significant opposition to their teaching from a cult. The cult is trying to draw the people away at the same time the teaching is going on, so they will not hear it. Please pray for the Knapps and the hearts of the people they have given their lives to. It is so awesome to see how Jason, Kellie & their kids have dedicated their lives to first learning the language, developing a written form of the language, and now translating and teaching the truth of the Bible in the tribe's native tongue. Their website is http://www.claypots.org.

2007-01-09T15:28:00.000-06:00

Belated Christmas photos :). Some living room decor.
Christmas morning with the "motherload" of presents :)

Here's a picture of our tree & our piano all decked out for Christmas. I'm just taking down the snowman stuff today. Normally I keep it up through Feb/Mar, but we have no snow, so it seems pointless.
Sierra & I went to a "teddy bear picnic" storytime today at a new coffee shop by our house.
Can you tell she loves her new Ariel salon that she got from Nanna & Papa ?

2007-01-05T15:59:00.000-06:00

I'm here. I'm just trying to figure out being on the new Blogger, and I'm not doing so very successfully. It took me over 30 min. just to log on, hence no blogging from me recently. Well we have been hit hard with the flu this month. I got it 3 separate times in December. Around New Years almost my entire extended family got it, and now Steve just got done and Sierra is still holding onto it. We ended up taking her to the doctor today since she's had it since Sunday, but the doctor didn't seem too concerned. Thankfully most of us had it for only 24 hours. That is one Christmas present you don't like to get! I'm enjoying looking at everyone's blog about Christmas. Once I figure out how they'll let me comment I'll be doing so. Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas. We were truly blessed to have Steve off for 1 1/2 weeks. It makes celebrating so much more enjoyable. Hope you all are feeling well and the stomach virus doesn't visit your house. Did any of you get the flu shot? I'm really considering it, but never have been a big fan before.

2006-12-13T12:56:00.000-06:00

Here's Sierra with her letter to Santa. She went and mailed it herself at the mailbox, but she didn't want to give it to him. She is too freaked out to see & talk to Santa, yet she wants to write him a letter and ask him for lots of toys. Yeah, I'm not thinking he wants to give to someone who is scared to see him in person, but hey that's ok. In the middle is our attempt at a gingerbread house. The frosting would not stick very well and was thick. Oh well, we did our best!

2006-12-11T17:21:00.000-06:00

Our infamous trip to the light show:) We got off the freeway and waited in a line just to get in for 1 1/2 hours. Thankfully most of the kids were sleeping so it gave Monica and I perfect time to catch up. Poor Allen sat all the way in the back seat between car seats the whole time - thanks for your sacrafice!

We went to St. Louis this weekend. Steve was an usher in a wedding of a friend of his and Sierra & I tagged along to spend some time with Monica & her family. We went to the mall to try on his tux and they had a carousel & ESPN zone inside - smart marketers! Anything to appease the children and the men while the women shop :). We got on the carousel right before closing time and on her favorite animal too :)
We loved seeing Daddy all spiffed up. I think the lady thought we were a little crazy to be snapping endless pictures in the tux shop :).
Sierra is holding Monica's youngest Joseph. Hannah got up special just to say hello at our 10:30 p.m. arrival time.
I stole this picture from Monica's blog, but it was too cute to pass up. Emily, Sierra & Hannah.

2006-12-05T15:03:00.000-06:00

What a happy camper :)!
There's the little girl I know & love!
The beloved job of unwinding the tree lights and seeing if all of them work.

Well here I am! Yes a long hiatus. I guess this is the one time of year when I get really busy. We have been shivering, to say the least, with our 10 inch snowfall last Friday and a few more inches added on by tonight. I must say I am not a fan of an early snow covering. We normally don't get hit until January. I do like that Steve's work was closed too b/c of the snow, but I hate the trapped feeling you get when your driveway isn't plowed for quite some time. I tell you one thing though, it helped us get our house ready for Christmas! I've even been rearranging Sierra's room to help make room for some Christmas presents she's getting. Thankfully, she's clueless to why her room is getting a mass overhaul :). She is a trooper though - open to new things. This is the first year since we've been married that Steve hasn't had to work 2 jobs or work 6 day work weeks for one job. We are loving it! We are so thankful to have daddy home to spend time with. To add to the blessing, my niece is now old enough to babysit - woo hoo! More dates for us! Hope you are enjoying your Christmas season!

2006-11-06T15:55:00.000-06:00

Sierra made sure to make it to as many princesses as possible. I remember last time I went about 7 years ago, they were all roaming the park. Now you have to go to a special location and wait in line to see them and when you get to the end (around 30 minutes later) it may be a different character. We missed getting Ariel, but her line seemed to never move. Thankfully she was in the parade at night, so we got to get a glimpse of her. Sierra had brought a gift for Cinderella - so precious!

2006-11-03T15:04:00.000-06:00

Well we had a fabulous time in Orlando. The Lord gave us fantastic weather from upper 70's to low 80's. It was just enough to be warm enough to swim but comfortable enough when we were developing blisters treking(sp.) through the parks :). We went to Animal Kingdom, Epcot & Magic Kingdom. We only made it to 1 1/2 of the lands inside Magic Kingdom b/c the princesses got our utmost attention :) . I'll post more pictures later, but we were able to get this group shot while droves of people were filing into the park as it opened - like the wrong date on the picture too :).

2006-10-24T09:12:00.000-05:00

Well thankfully a week later I'm doing much better and tomorrow we embark on our FL journey. We are all getting excited and nervous at the same time. My nephew is flying with us, so he is coming to stay overnight tonight and then we leave in the morning. This is the first flight for all the kids (4). We have quite a layover in Ohio, but at least it allows for variances if the flights get delayed. The weather just recently dropped a little in temp. thankfully-from upper 80's to upper 70's and low 80's. But to us who just got a few snow flurries yesterday, it still will be a shock to the system! Hope you all have a good week - we sure plan to :).

2006-10-18T10:19:00.000-05:00

Wow- has this been a crazy week. I was experiencing chest pain on my left side for a week, along with left shoulder and back pain. Well is started to get worse, so I went to Urgent care on Sunday. He pretty much said it probably isn't my heart it is muscle/bone related. So I went to the chiropractor the next day and he said my upper and middle back were pretty messed up. He told me to come in the next day too. I went in yesterday and he adjusted mostly my neck and middle back. All day yesterday it hurt when I breathe and I was getting significant heartburn from other issues I have too. Today it has calmed down significantly but my shoulders and mid left side of my back still hurt. I've been kind of freaking out since we leave for our trip a week from today. Thankfully the dr. gave me muscle relaxers to help keep my back from going into spasms, but I'm trying not to take any medication. To top it all off, my chiropractor is out for the rest of the week. I don't mean to ask for sympathy or to give a sob story, but in order to update my blog - this is all that's on my mind. My family and friends have helped significantly by taking Sierra for a couple of hours in order to give me some breaks to rest. Thank you! Well hopefully by my next post, I'll be better.

2006-10-11T09:21:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday today, Jordan! Here's the gift we gave him for his 10th b'day - Legos :).
Right after this, we told all the kids that we are all going on a vacation to Disney World in a couple of weeks. Brooke & Sierra were going crazy. They both want to see Cinderella. Sierra even took a bracelet she has and put it in a fancy bag to give Cinderella when we get there. It is part of a 2 bracelet set with one saying "best" and the other "friends". Too funny! Boy oh boy, do I hope we actually see her, or it could get interesting.

2006-10-04T08:23:00.000-05:00

We had a fun time in Chicago this weekend. We needed a day to get away and it was so gorgeous outside. We went to the American Girl store and picked up a present for my mom to give to someone. Sierra was in shock and awe at all the dolls and accessories. They even have a salon where workers do the doll's hair in whatever style - ha ha! We almost gave in to maybe get her one, but thankful we didn't. (With the price of $87 without tax per doll - you would really have to save up your money.) For as soon as we left the place, her fascination was with taking the trolley and totally forgot about the dolls. We parked several blocks from the doll store and missed the free trolley to Navy Pier. So we got our share of walking in. We were exhausted by the time we got to the Pier. We ate at the infamous "Bubba Gump" restaurant - delicious coconut shrimp. Sierra wanted to ride the rides but was scared of the ferris wheel, so we just went on the carousel. After that, we waited for the Free Trolley. We were one of the last to get on, so we were in the aisle hanging on for dear life. Sierra didn't get the concept why we weren't sitting down, but she loved being able to ride one. Thankfully the trolley took us right to our parking garage - hallelujah!

2006-09-30T10:16:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love the spitup on my pants? Little Joseph nailed me on both shoulders earlier in the day too- nice picture Monica :) Our neighbor gave popsicles to all the girls when they were swimming in the little pool on our patio. Monica a very smart mommy setting a timer on her phone every 2 minutes so that the girls would share the cars and switch. Saved us a lot of headaches :)
Emily just loved the girls ramming into her while she was in the car like "Demolition Derby".
Monica just sent me these pictures from when they came to visit at the beginning of September. It was so nice to have a chunk of time together so the kids could play and we could catch up. Wish you lived closer!

2006-09-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

Visit to the zoo continued: I love the new cat house. They let you get right up to the animals. I think this is the Jaguar and one of the Polar Bears swimming.

2006-09-29T15:49:00.000-05:00

We headed off to the zoo this past week while the weather was still nice. We went with Trinity, Ethan, & Abel. We ended up spending 2 1/2 hrs. at the zoo. It was a good time getting exercise and seeing animals all at the same time. They even put in a playground in the farm animals area, so the kids can work off the rest of their energy. Each time we go we tend to see zookeepers who explain the names and various things about the animals. It makes it more special for the kids when they know the baby penguin's name "Tiki" and "Popei" the red panda. Sierra always wants to see the Tiger who lost his mommy this last summer. We went when he was literally crying/moaning 1 month after his mom died. I think we might have to invest in a zoo pass come spring. She is so excited every time she goes. Thankfully in the winter they have a free day 1 x a month, and it normally has been at least sunny when they've had them-maybe 35-40 degrees, not warm, but sunny :).

2006-09-27T10:57:00.001-05:00

Here's some b'day pictures from Steve's birthday party at my parents. Upper - Brooke & Sierra "help" Steve open his presents. Lower - Sierra & Daddy blow out the candles.

2006-09-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear hubby, happy birthday to you. Ok I don't normally call him hubby, but I wanted to wish him a wonderful birthday today. I think he specially ordered the sunshine and warm temperatures today. Steve is 31 and still going strong, despite most people reading this blog and thinking 30 is ancient :). I am so thankful for him and all he does for the booch and me. He truly is a helpmeet in every way, a leader, friend, and wonderful rough-housing daddy for our daughter. He's been very spoiled this year with a trip to the Packers, movie tickets, dvds, tools, candy, casting crowns cd, etc. And we can't forget the stepping stone Sierra made for him out of concrete and jeweled stones. (Very messy, but nice finishing product :) Even tonight my mom is watching Sierra so I can take him out to dinner. We just found out about a Brazilian restaurant that is in the area, so that is one of the options on the docket or maybe The Cheesecake Factory or Texas Roadhouse. Wherever we go, it will be so nice to have a date and celebrate who he is. Happy Birthday sweetheart ! Love, Jen & Sierra

2006-09-22T14:52:00.000-05:00

My dresser broke last week, so I went on a quest to find one. I must confess the original model was a trash to treasure find minus the treasure. :) My husband suggested going to rummage sales to find one. Well I have kind of steered clear of such sales in the past since it was a nightmare taking my little toddler to an area of cool toys everywhere and pulling her away crying afterwards. Well I saw in the paper a whole condo complex having a sale - right up my alley - a number of sales all within walking distance. It was totally of the Lord. As soon as we pulled in we saw 2 dressers at the first house. Guess how much they were - $5 a piece ! I said I'll take them! They were white with paint chipped all around it, but I figured I'd try to make them work. WOOHOO - they did! They are so deep and finally house our sweatshirts and sweaters along with our regular clothes too. I just painted them black to hide all the gashes and gouges and they seem to work really well. These were a literal trash to treasure!

2006-09-20T17:33:00.000-05:00

Can I say awesome?! My parents gave Steve Packers tickets for his birthday. We went this last Sunday, and of any time of year to go this was it. It was in the 70's. We had seats in a personal box. My mom didn't know whose box it was b/c she was given the seats by a supplier from work. I was a little freaked out that we didn't know who we would be by the whole game in a little room, but the thought of awesome tickets soon abated my fears. We got right up to the field 2hrs. Before game time and were able to find parking on the street for free-unheard of! We then made our way to the field-incredible! It is all closed in the hall just to get in. We made it up to the 5th floor which looked like offices. We entered into our box# and no one was there. There was quite the spread of brats, hamburgers, drinks, chicken wings, etc. There were 12 seats overlooking the field with 2 TV's on the top corners for viewing replays. I had to laugh. What would it be like to own one of these-expensive! We left and waited til someone came and then realized the box was owned by Russ Darrow. He owns 22 car dealerships in the are. He was there with his wife, friends, kids, grandkids, and some employees. It kind of felt like we were intruding on a family reunion:) There were 20-25 people in the box. Thankfully they were very friendly and always asking if we needed anything. We of course were in our Packer regalia while they were in their designer clothes-awkward! Oh well! To the game- so roller coasterish, but kept us on the edge of our seats the whole game. I couldn't believe how well you could see the whole field clearly from so high up. I loved getting a glimpse of Reggie Bush too. He seemed unstoppable. It truly was a once in a lifetime experience. Steve was so thrilled to go!

2006-09-15T14:50:00.000-05:00

Here's some pictures from our trip to MI. All the ladies at the dinner table (l-r) - Grandma, Aunt Pat, Me & Sierra, & Nancy - Steve's mom. Steve & Grandpa at his party looking at who signed the guestbook.

2006-09-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we celebrated Grandpa Schuyler's 90th birthday. We made the trek over to MI early Sat. a.m. Normally it takes 4 1/2 hrs. but it took us 8 hours this time around. There was a truck fire on 294 right at the IL/Indiana border. We were stopped. It was hilarious. People kept running down to port a potties on the side of the road used for construction crews. Thankfully we figured out a detour and got off to fill up the tank and empty the others :). We didn't even know if we were going to make it to Grandpa's party from 2-5 est. Well after our detour through Dyer, IN and up I65 in Indiana we made it back on 94 up to MI. Thankfully there were no more delays with road construction or the accident. With my swift driving husband we arrived at his party with 1 hour left to go. By that time most of the people had left, but at least Grandpa knew we did our very best to get there. Sierra went right up to her uncle Kevin and got all her pent up energy out - sorry Kevin :). It was so good to see Grandpa so happy and Grandma thankful that everything went so well. We ended up going back to their house and had pizza with all of Steve's dad's other brothers and sister. It was good to sit around the table and chat and catch up. Grandpa has dementia, so it is hard for him to remember various things. When we woke up the next morning, he came out to the living room where Steve was. He asked Grandpa if he could take a shower in the basement and Grandpa went about looking for a towel for him to use. 2 seconds later Grandpa goes in his bedroom and said to Grandma, " Who's that guy in the living room?" Grandma proceeded to tell him that was his grandson. We all laughed. Surprisingly he was so cordial to Steve without knowing who he was. I'm thankful he didn't think he was an intruder or anything trying to take a shower :). He has hard mornings, but tends to get better as the day goes along. I think that's why he stayed up so late the night of his party b/c he didn't want to start all over again the next day. We sure love them! Sierra keeps wanting to go back and celebrate with Grandpa again, his "little sweetie".

2006-09-05T16:24:00.000-05:00

What a crazy day! Well en route to the ringing cell phone I crashed my foot into a chair trying to avoid the pillow maze on the floor (courtesy of Sierra). It soon began to throb in pain and I couldn't walk on it. Oh! was I frustrated! Well I kind of figured out it was the 2 far right toes on my right foot, so I put some ice on it. I couldn't even get up and move around without pain, so I set up a dr. appt. and asked my dad to take me. Sierra was pumped Mommy was going to the dr. and not her for once :). Well thankfully the kids are now in school, so the dr's office wasn't busy. I got right in and got an x-ray. All that to say it wasn't broken, just badly sprained. Truly I am grateful! You never know if you should wait it out and try to keep moving it or baby it and keep it up so you don't do more damage. Thankfully it should back to normal within a week and I can just hobble on my left side of my foot until it gets better. Are any of you accident prone like my precious daughter and I? I have a feeling we will meet our deductible every year - yikes!

2006-09-01T15:08:00.000-05:00

2006-08-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was really a praise day for the three of us. Sierra was sooo helpful! She picked up clothes and put them in the washer, took letters upstairs to be mailed, and gave me hope. She brought out about 10 pieces of construction paper and started telling me what color each of them are. Most kids know their colors earlier, but she has struggled with colors. I didn't prompt her or anything. She just started saying, "Green, blue, red, pink, white, black, orange, purple, etc." How cool! Thank you Lord for the encouragment! Well for me, I have been working at keeping the utility bill at our budget amount-turning off lights, unplugging stuff, etc. They reassess it every 6 months and change it after a year according to more or less. Well I thought for sure it would go up after using the air conditioner sooo much in July & August, but we got the bill yesterday and it stayed the same - woohoo- for a whole more year! For Steve, he has been kicking bootay and taking names in selling garages. Yesterday he had to drive 1 1/2 hrs. north to bid a garage. He sold it the first time out! Most times people want to have them come back another time before they decide. We are still hoping he is the top seller for the month which would be amazing being the new kid on the block. I guess it is just good to set goals for himself. Anyways we all celebrated by going out to Charoal Grill for dinner last night. We need these kind of days once in a while. Thank you Lord for the blessings!

2006-08-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

Here's pictures of Dave & Esther with Sadie & Reghan at their home. Two pictures are of the Mall of America and Steve & Sierra riding the balloon ride. We had such a great time seeing Dave & Esther and the girls. It was so nice to reconnect before we don't see them for a while. We will miss them! Sierra ran out and gave Reghan a hug as soon as we got there - how precious! The girls really hit it off and played well together. We stayed up late and talked and the guys went and checked out weird chainsaw noises and lights down the road. It freaked us out a little, but the "big burly men" :) went to check it out. Someone went off the road and they had to cut out a stump to get the car out - at midnight. I mentioned "chainsaw massacre" when I heard the noises so late at night - ok maybe my mind does run off at times :). We had fun--it was nice to just pick up where we left off.

2006-08-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

It's been a rainy couple of days here. We attempted to go to the concert in the park on Thursday night with my mom and aunts, but got rained out. It was the start to our Irish Fest weekend with the an Irish group playing at the park. Luckily we were able to purchase a cd for half-off to hear what they really sounded like. Last night we headed downtown for the festival. We came in our ponchos and raincoats and met up with Trinity and Jeremiah to watch the Irish dancers. Sierra of course wants to be one and wanted to go to all the stages with little kids dancing :). We ended up seeing my parents and friends from Illinois up for the weekend. We saw a harp player, Scottish bagpipes and dancers and heard a couple of the Irish groups before Sierra joined a group of kids at the fountain. The fountain is right at the front gate and kids tend to go wild with the different timings of the little fountains. We had a good time other than for the fact we missed the free cutoff time by 10 min. Oh well! We look forward to going every year, so it was worth it. We ended up buying another cd from Gaelic Storm. Well we are off for a weekend near Minneapolis visiting Dave and Esther before they head off to balmy California to take an associate pastor position near San Jose. We will sure miss them being close, but now I guess we'll have to save up for a trip out west. No problem with me:)! (I may be on hiatus for a while, b/c we are going to have to get new internet access.)

2006-08-16T09:53:00.000-05:00

Ok a praise jam for my husband, Steve. He set the alarm last night to wake up early. When I woke up this morning, he had already fed the lizard & crab, set out breakfast for Sierra, took a shower and was dressed for work. He then took my car in and dropped it off to get looked at b/c it's been making lots of noises when backing up, etc. Not including, he vacuumed my car out last night and went to the auto parts store to change some fuses on the car even though he knew it wouldn't probably fix anything in order to calm down his wife. Today he has a very busy day with 3 garage leads and has to run to get permits for another one. He is amazing! Thank you Lord for a husband who goes out of his way for me and is SOOO helpful. He truly has been fantastic. He asked me how he could help me more and I said to get Sierra ready to go in the morning. This whole week he's gotten her dressed and her breakfast ready. What a giving husband for whom I am truly grateful. I have seen him grow so much in our marriage - what a true testament to his dependence upon God. Thank you sweetheart!

2006-08-15T14:59:00.000-05:00

Well I'm pet sitting for this week. I have a bearded dragon and a hermit crab. My sister is on vacation and my dad is watching her dog, 2 cats, turtles and fish, so she thought she'd split up the crew to not overwhelm my dad :). The lizard looks like a foot long iguana whose food (crickets) is chirping in the background as I write. The hermit crab eats dried worms and dried fruit with purified water and the lizard eats crickets, lettuce and grapes. I don't know how my sister does it with all of these guys. I think the lizard is still trying to get comfortable. Half of him is white and half is his normal grey. (white - scared, I think?) We are trying to get Sierra used to having a pet since we found out we can have cats in our condo. She has to save up $100 before she can get one. She is already halfway there! I'm still debating between a kitty and a cat with all of its shots and litter trained. We shall see. The earliest is probably Christmas, so we can hit 2 birds with one stone. We may wait until she can take care of it all by herself, so it doesn't become another duty for mom :).

2006-08-11T17:13:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pictures from Sierra's birthday. Opening her baby swing, wearing her Barbie "Mermaidia" outfit, and of course blowing out her candles at my parent's house for her party. She still has that shock and awe excited look when she opens gifts. I hope she keeps that for a couple more years before the,"But, Mom I asked for the other thing other than what you got me look."

2006-08-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

Lots of blogging going on the last couple of days, but this is the busiest part of our year. This blog is dedicated to our life one year ago today in which Sierra broke her leg. Because of her age and the location of the break, she had to be put in a body cast for 6 weeks. We thought our world was going to end. I couldn't lift her, so Steve had to take off for 4 of those weeks and 2 more after she got it off for recovery. We stayed at his parent' s house for 2 weeks, so his mom and grandma could help me lift her and move her around. She was in a wheelchair, but had to be reclined down, b/c she couldn't sit up. It was overwhelming! She only had a small area open on the bottom that we stuffed a diaper into. We had to put a large one on the outside to protect her cast. She got such bad rashes inside the cast where her skin was raw. I never thought we would make it through. Thank the Lord we did! He helped her heal amazingly fast after she got her cast off. Within 6 weeks after her cast was off, there was no limp at all. All that to say, I tried to help Sierra realize what a blessing her being able to run, ride her bike and even walk is. We tend to always take the everyday things for granted, but today we prayed together and thanked the Lord for all He's done. It truly is a miracle!

2006-08-08T15:40:00.000-05:00

2006-08-08T10:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was our golden anniversary, ok not in the traditional sense, but we have been married seven years on the 7th. We kind of had 2 days of celebrating it. We had a date on Saturday that you see in the pictures (that will come later once my computer cooperates) and we had a date on our anniversary which I remembered the camera case, but not the camera :). On Saturday we went to eat at Coast for lunch - thanks to Alicia and my mom's talking about how good it was. It was a perfect setting overlooking the lake and the art museum. I would probably liked dinner better to get the true experience, but the lunch was pricey enough :). Great topovers or popovers (bread) and cucumber dill salad! We then went on to the art museum. I was surprised Steve wanted to go, but the special exhibit was about comic books. He loved reading them when he was a kid, so he enjoyed seeing them. We made it through the whole building in a little over a hour - I guess we're not the best art connoisseurs. Yesterday, we headed off to Madison and walked around the State Capitol and State St. What a beautiful view from the observation deck at the Capitol! (Even though it took about 100 steps to get there :). That evening we went the Melting Pot restaurant. What a cool concept! It is all fondue. We had 4 courses: cheese, salad, main, chocolate. They do it all at your table on a hotplate with a fondue pot. So fun! Be prepared though...it took 2 1/2 hours before we were done. I loved how they lit the chocolate one on fire - for effect of course :). The meal consisted of Wisconsin trio of cheeses with sherry and shallots; chef salad; filet, citrus pork, shrimp, & chicken with vegetables in a vegetable bouillon with Burgundy wine, mushrooms & garlic; turtle - milk chocolate, caramel, & pecans. Needless to say a very rich meal which kind of was a little much for the stomach - but an awesome experience!

2006-08-07T07:35:00.000-05:00

2006-08-07T07:16:00.000-05:00

Happy belated birthday to Sierra! She turned 4 on Saturday. We kind of had an extended weekend celebration for her. On Thursday, we went with Trinity Hindman and her 2 boys, Ethan and Abel to the state fair. It was soo cute. Ethan called (with mom's help) and left Sierra a message on her birthday by singing "For she's a jolly good fellow" - what a crackup. Sierra already said she's going to marry him as well as probably 3 other girls have said. He's already got choices at 3! She keeps asking me how old she'll be when she gets married. "Will I be five?" Daddy says -35! Thanks to her cousin Ryan's wedding - that's all she can talk about. Well anyways, after the fair we came home for a nap and then headed back when Daddy got home from work. On Friday, my sister and her cousins surprised her by taking her to Build A Bear for her b'day present (notice the bunny is wearing a wedding dress:). On Saturday, my parents took her to the zoo, while mommy and daddy got a date - woohoo! Saturday night we had her b'day party at my parents. Today she gets to stay overnight at her Nana's house and celebrate her b'day over there. It is a never ending party for her :).

2006-08-02T09:09:00.000-05:00

Our weekend - Part III
We left the funeral about 9:45 p.m. and started our trek towards home. Thankfully Nancy met us at the exit again, so we could pick up Sierra (11p.m.). We had hoped to stop in Indiana, but every hotel we called or stopped at was booked, except for one for $120 a night - yeah right! I felt so bad for Rob driving the whole way. We hit pretty bad construction in SW Michigan and in Indiana. I really can't stand the concrete barriers and makeshift lanes while going somewhat normal freeway speeds next to semis. I know I would not have done well, especially so late at night. We finally did book a hotel over the Illinois border, but missed it b/c it was a makeshift exit right before the breakoff for 94 and the bypass. We got off at the next exit in hopes to go back. Let me just pause to say - nothing is ever easy on a toll road. If you make a mistake your paying double and triple tolls to get on and off and the exits are few and far between. Well, the ramp back on the bypass east was closed for the night! Thankfully, when we tried to cancel our reservation, we found out they messed up and didn't even reserve it, even though we had a confirmation number. Hallelujah! And normally Chicago is the most dreaded part of the trip due to traffic, it was smooth sailing all the way home. I guess 2:00 a.m. does that for ya :). Needless to say after 2 days of endless traveling, we were thankful to be home and rest up for all the sleep loss. Someone sure missed her daddy! I did too :)

2006-08-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

Our weekend - Part II
We stayed up late and spent time with Grandma and Uncle Kevin. The next day we saw Grandpa, and he kept saying, "Where's my little sweetie?" to Sierra. It was good to see Grandma was already on her feet after the surgery. She had half of a knee replaced which allowed her to walk around still while it was healing. It was so good to see them, even though we only had a short time to visit. Around mid-afternoon my sister called and said they were close to our exit. Nancy drove me to 94, and I met up with my sister and brother in law to head to the funeral. It only took us about 2 hours to head to Detroit, so we arrived an hour early. They had a slideshow going on with pictures of Ed with songs playing. The songs were just perfect for the pictures. They talked about dancing with Jesus and were really powerful. There was even a video of Kelley and Ed dancing/kissing at their wedding - how precious! I had already gone through a handful of Kleenex before the funeral started. We went up to Kelley and let her know we're praying for her and love her and her family. What can I say, but that the entire service was a testament of praise to God. It started with praise songs being led by the worship team like Lord I give you my heart, & Blessed be your name. Kelley stood up and sang with arms stretched out towards heaven. Wow it even brings tears to my eyes now. You could see firsthand her dependence upon God. They had people tell stories of his life and even of most recently with his struggle to keep going for his family and his continual desire to seek God. Josh Waltz, her brother gave a message from Job (whose life Ed had been studying) and included the gospel. We ended with Chris Tomlin songs Indescribable & How Great is our God & then Lord I Lift Your Name on High. You left feeling triumphant, realizing God is sovereign and we can rest in Him for strength, guidance. It was powerful - like nothing I had ever experienced. Keep Kelley and her family in your prayers. She will be going to various family members houses for the next month before she goes back home to get the kids in school. What a journey! Thank you Kelley for sharing your life with us--it truly is a blessing and example!